Easter In Spain

The Easter celebration in Spain goes back to the sixteenth century when the Catholic Church decided to represent the history of the Passion of Christ in a way that could be understood. It was thought that the best way to do so would be by using a series of processions in the streets representing scenes of the history of the Passion of Jesus Christ with floats.

Best places to go

The Spanish Easter is very ingrained into the way of life in Andalusia with great processions in Malaga and Seville. You should go to these cities during this one week to encounter the deep emotion associated with these processions. Other great Easter celebrations in Spain are the ones held in Castile and Leon, particularly in Zamora, Valladolid, Salamanca, Avila and Segovia. Toledo is also another one of the great Spanish cities to celebrate Easter in this way.

Style and tradition

Although the style and the atmosphere of the Easter celebrations vary from one city to another, the basic characteristics remain the same. Every day there are a series of processions which go from the church of each brotherhood to the Cathedral. The majority of the brotherhoods keep at least two floats which are carried in the procession, one of Christ and another one of the Virgin Mary.

Processions

The processions for Easter are quite impressive, especially in Andalusia. The costaleros carry their floats either under or outside the litters. The effort of carrying these heavy floats is considered a means of understanding the suffering of Christ.  The majority of the processions come out in the evening, from its first hours until dawn, with the processions of the brotherhoods. In some places, noon is the time for the processions for Domingo de Ramos or Palm Sunday.

There are many processions that come out on Good Friday as well. From dawn on Holy Thursday to Good Friday are large numbers of processions. Also the Domingo de Resurrección or Easter Sunday, the last day of the Easter, is important. On this day in the churches of the cities, thousands of bells are rung to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.

Conclusion

One of the worst enemies of the Easter processions is rain and it can ruin all plans for going outdoors for tourists. In addition the floats can be damaged by the water. However, this does not stop the faithful from going out on the processions as planned and none of the activities are abandoned. The beauty of Easter Week in Spain still remains and attracts thousands of travelers from around the world every year to witness it.